Maikka Week 2010: Age of Maikka and Matchmaking
by Loopy777
Summary: Two series of stories featuring Mai and Sokka as a couple. The first is an AU starting in Book 2, and the second will be a series of comedic shorts. If you like snark, sarcasm, blades, and boomerangs, you should enjoy these pieces very much.
1. Infiltration

**_It's Maikka Week 2010! For more information check out my deviantArt page: loopy777 dot deviantart dot com_**

* * *

**Infiltration**

"Okay, everyone! Into sick formation!"

Sokka watched while the citizens of Omashu crowded together and began their faux-moaning. As the Water Tribe boy kept an eye on the proceedings to make sure no one got left behind (and that everyone was putting in a good performance), he faintly heard his sister talking to their mutual friend, the Avatar. "Aang, what are you doing? Aren't you coming with us?

"No. I'm not leaving until I find Bumi," was the reply.

Sokka did a double take. He ran over to where the two were conversing, and grabbed Aang by the shoulders. "A wha ha wha?"

The Avatar's face remained stoic. "These people will be okay with you and Katara. I need to find my friend."

Sokka shook his head. "Aang, _you_ need to get out of this city. You're not just Bumi's friend. You're the _Avatar_, and every minute you spend in an empty city poking your head into jails is another opportunity the Fire Nation has to capture you."

"I won't leave Bumi!"

Sokka sighed. "I'll look for him then."

Aang and Katara both blinked in shock.

"What? You two can go with the Omashans and get them out of here just as well as me. I'm a hunter, and I'm better at sneaking around and staying out of sight. I can peak into the military bases here while they're distracted by the plague, and find out of Bumi is still in the city. You can meet up with me again after dark, at, say, the top of the slide we rode the last time we were here."

Aang looked to Katara, who in turn didn't appear pleased at all. Even so, she exhaled loudly and stepped forward to hug Sokka. "You're right. Just be careful. If you get in trouble, you can't just fly out of here."

Sokka hugged her back and smiled. "Trust me, getting in trouble is the last thing I want to do here." He really should have known not to tempt fate with lines like that.

* * *

Omashu turned out to be a _big_ city. Most of it was empty now, and it turned out to be surprisingly difficult to figure out which buildings had been re-purposed as Fire Nation billets and which had just been abandoned in a rush by the owners. The only new construction was the factories and the Governor's palace, and poking around the former didn't reveal any useful information to Sokka.

Well, that left just one option.

At least the evacuation plan was working (thank you very much). The Fire Nation was herding the citizens of Omashu straight out of the city, thinking they were infected with a plague. Most of the soldiers had been deployed to the city's lowest tier in order to prevent any of the "plague-carriers" from escaping the shrinking cordon. That left just a token guard for the city's other strategically significant assets, including the Governor's Palace. The building itself stood on a raised platform at the heart of the city, but from what Sokka could see, the only guards on the outside were positioned at the main pathway, and they were busy staring in horror down at the evacuation.

No problem.

He located a balcony out of sight of the guards, tied one end of a long rope around Boomerang, and threw the weapon at the balcony's railing. Boomerang curved just right, looping around the rail and wrapping tightly when the rope went taut. Sokka clambered up, and just like that, had infiltrated the Governor's Palace.

Hopefully, leaving would be just as easy.

Sokka couldn't say he liked the place's decor. Whoever designed it had this _thing_ for tall ceilings and plain walls, which drew attention to the various gaudy pieces of furniture. Sokka kind of liked the look of the carved wood pieces, but more than half of them seemed like they had no real function other than taking up space in the overly large rooms, and the hanging burgundy banners sporting the Fire Nation's symbol were just tacky. And it didn't seem like there was anybody around to even use all this furniture. Granted, the fake plague scare had likely drawn a lot of attention from the military forces, but wasn't there anyone else around doing their job? Was everyone from the Fire Nation an enthusiastic soldier?

Still, it made Sokka's job easier. He moved quickly through the hallways, listening for signs of danger and finding none, poking his head into various rooms. He found one set of particularly fancy doors, and when a peak through the keyhole revealed no one inside, he quickly slipped in.

It was an office. A massive wooden desk sat at the back of the room, covered in neatly stacked papers, and the walls were adorned with drawings. One was a portrait of a scary, grumpy-looking guy with a long beard and a flame-shaped thingy stuck in his hair. The others, though, were various sketches of what looked like mechanical devices. The most prominently displayed was a large drawing of Omashu itself, including the deep valley immediately surrounding it, with metal bridges extending over the gap. The sketch showed the bridges in various stages of construction and deployment, with notes about construction and functionality. It was actually pretty neat.

Sokka went to check the desk.

The papers there were labeled! Whoever used this office, he was obviously a nerd of some kind. There were commands for troop deployment, reports on the local resistance, and a sketch of a coffin-shaped metal box described as a 'Royal Earthbender Prison.'

Wait, 'Royal?' Sokka began shuffling through the papers nearby, looking for more information. Before he could find what he was looking for, he heard the office's doors creak open. He grabbed a stack of the papers with his left hand as he spun and drew his war club with his right hand.

It was a girl.

Honestly, she looked exactly like he would have expected of a Fire Nation 'lady.' She was as tall as Sokka, and probably around his age. Her face was angular and pale, a strange white pigmentation that was intensified by her glossy black hair. As if that didn't make her look scary enough, her flowing outfit was all burgundy and black, like the inside of a cooling volcano.

Something about her looked familiar to Sokka. Had he seen her before?

The girl's own reaction was more muted than Sokka would have expected. She just quirked an eyebrow and drawled, "Please tell me you're here to _kill_ me."

Sokka blinked. "What gave you that impression?"

"You're with the Resistance, aren't you? I chased you last night, after you tried to assassinate my mother and me. You're also holding up a weapon, in case you hadn't realized."

Oh! The _assassination_ attempt! Aang had disrupted an attempt to take out kill "the Governor's top advisor" when she turned out to be a lady holding a baby, and then some Fire Nation soldiers had given chase, and then a girl who shot sharp things out of her sleeves had attacked Aang and Katara before they escaped with Sokka to the Resistance's underground base. Honestly, Sokka had been too busy to think much about all that, what with the fake plague he was devising. Looking at this girl, now, slumping with a bored expression on her face, he couldn't help but wonder if Katara had been exaggerating things again.

"No, I'm not an _assassin_. I don't do, you know, assassinatings. I'm just looking for a friend, actually. We think your Fire guys might have him stashed somewhere, but he's just an old man and really won't be much trouble, and I'll vouch for him and if you could just show me-"

The girl yawned. "Oh, a spy. I suppose I should stop you."

Sokka tightened his grip on his club. "Do you have to?"

She shrugged. "Honestly? Probably not. But the only other thing to do around here is watch the plague people and eat fire flakes, so like it or not, you're my new hobby."

She smirked, and then she moved.

Sokka reacted by reflex, and he heard the sound of little metal somethings bouncing off his swung club. Knives. The girl had _thrown knives at his face_.

Sokka stuffed the papers in his belt and ran.

The girl chased.

She chased him through one of the office's side doors into a small throne room. She chased him through a side door there into what looked like a comfy (if too big) sitting room. She chased (and it should probably be noted that, in addition to the chasing, the Evil Girl was throwing sharp Boomerang-like spinning discs that Sokka had to keep twisting to either avoid or knock out of the way) him into a smaller room with open windows and a small balcony, where a baby was on top of a table squeezing an upset Momo's tail.

Wait, Momo?

Sokka skidded to a halt, batted another Sharp Spinner away from his face, and grabbed both Momo and the baby. "Stop! I have a lemur and I know how to use it!"

The Evil Girl slid to a halt. "Put. My brother. Down."

Sokka shifted his grip to hold the delighted baby in front of his face, and let Momo scamper around to perch on his shoulder. "Nuh uh."

The Evil Girl flicked her hand in and out of her sleeve, and was suddenly holding a small blade on a ring. "You should know, I _can_ hit you while you're holding him. I'm a very good aim. I just don't want Tom-Tom to fall and start crying after I've killed you. I _hate_ the sound of his crying."

The Water Tribe boy glanced at the baby in his arms. "You wouldn't."

The Evil Girl smirked again.

Then a high-pitched voice behind her screeched, "_Mai, don't!_" The Evil Girl- Mai- lowered the blade, and an older woman with a family resemblance burst into the room. "Tom-Tom! The Resistance!"

Sokka frowned. "Why do people keep assuming that?"

"Give me my son!"

"Tell the Evil Girl with the sharp things to back off! Seriously, she can hurt someone with those."

The woman grabbed Mai's sleeve. "Please, do it!"

Mai sighed.

Sokka, still holding the baby- Tom-Tom- in front of him, began sidestepping in arc that would bring him towards the balcony. "Okay, I'm going to keep talking reasonably so that we're all nice and relaxed." At that, four soldiers with spears arrived through the door and took up position behind the Mother Lady. "Yeah, nice and relaxed. Yeah. I'm just going to go outside, put the baby down, and get out of here. No one gets hurt, I leave with no holes in me, and we're all happy. Happy is good, right? The only reason I'm here is to try and make people happy. Honestly, I think the Fire Nation could use a little more happy, don't you?"

Now he was on the balcony, his back against the railing. He peaked over the edge, and was disappointed to see that the ground was quite a bit further away that he would have liked. "Aw, man."

The Mai girl took a step forward. Her blade was in her hand again. "You're stuck. Put my brother down so that my mother will let me attack you."

"And then what?"

"I attack you. Duh."

Sokka involuntarily leaned back a bit. "I'm thinking... no."

Mai shrugged. "Your choice." She raised her hand to throw.

At this point, several things happened in quick succession. Mai's mother screamed. Sokka leaned back a bit more, and toppled over the railing. Momo leapt off of Sokka and took flight. The soldiers gasped and ran forward. Mai's blade embedded itself in the balcony's railing.

Then it was all gone, and Sokka found himself landing on his back in an Earth Cart filled with berries that was sliding down to the city's lower tier, while a laughing baby bounced on Sokka's chest and clapped.

Hey, that was some nice luck, for a change.

* * *

Mai and her mother both watched as the Stupid Infiltrator slid out of sight in his exquisitely timed Earth Cart. At that, Mother burst into tears, and had to be led away by some of the guards. Father came dashed into the room, leading even more spearmen. He looked around, and settled his gaze on Mai. "What happened?"

"I found a stupid boy looking around your office. He was trying to find out where you hung Bumi up. He- the stupid boy- grabbed Tom-Tom and just escaped. And Mother is crying."

Father had just one more question before he went to take his wife in his arms. "You couldn't stop him?"

The gloomy girl sighed, and considered ranting about how Mother had no confidence in her, and had kept Mai from doing what was needed to keep her family safe, in a city that Mai hadn't wanted to see in the first place, for a brother who Mai was sure was more important to Mother than Mai herself. Instead, she just shrugged. "I missed."

Mai walked away silently.

**END**


	2. Turnabout

**Age of Maikka - Turnabout**

"I apologize. You've come to Omashu at a difficult time." The Governor lowered his eyes. "Yesterday my son was kidnapped by the Resistance, and I've dispatched military forces to track the enemy camp and recover him."

Princess Azula, lauded daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, crossed her legs and looked down at the pathetic little man whose throne she was currently occupying. "Yes, I'm so sorry to hear about your son, but really, what did you expect by just letting all the citizens leave?" The Princess's voice darkened. "My father has trusted you with this city and you're making a mess of things!"

The Governor started to stammer a reply, but Azula quickly cut him off. "Regardless, I didn't come here to get involved in your local problems. Where is your _daughter_? I was hoping to see Mai on a matter of Royal Business."

The Governor traded glances with his wife. Both paled. "We're... not sure. She disappeared sometime after the kidnapping."

* * *

Honestly, this tracking thing wasn't so hard; the Resistance hadn't even made an effort to hide their trail. Mai decided that the Fire Nation army must be run by idiots. It certainly didn't seem far-fetched, considering what she'd seen of the Royal Family and Fire Nation elite during her childhood.

Too bad the landscape was so _boring_. Granted, it was called the "Earth Kingdom," but did everyone have to take it so literally? There was nothing surrounding Omashu but miles of dirt, stone, valleys, and mesas, as far as the eye could see.

And Mai had very good eyes.

The Fire Nation warrior had snuck out of the house at dawn, while her parents were briefing the stupid soldiers. It wasn't that she was overly concerned for Tom-Tom. He got enough attention from his parents, and besides, if the kidnapper himself was indicative of anything, the Resistance was a bunch of slapstick-prone buffoons. No, Mai was traipsing outside in the too hot sun, in the too-dirty landscape, all by herself, because she was taking the whole situation _personally_.

The Water Tribe boy had escaped from _her_.

_She_ had failed to keep him from taking Tom-Tom.

And he made _her **miss**_.

It was about noon-ish, with the weather getting ridiculously hot and Mai starting to wonder if these Blood Vendettas weren't all they were cracked up to be, when the ambush was launched. Mai was investigating a more open spot amidst the canyons that looked like it had recently served as a campsite, and the only warning she got of the attacks was the quiet sound of rocks compressing. She quickly dashed forward, not so much caring about where she was headed as she was about getting away from the spot she had been standing on. Proving her point, a pillar of rock exploded exactly where her feet had been, and a trio of ugly stout soldiers dropped down from the canyon walls.

Only three? No problem.

The Earthbenders were wearing the bulky uniforms of Omashu Domestic Soldiers, but the material's main purpose was to resist catching on fire, not to provide any real armored protection. Her weapons would pass right through them. Mai got a chance to prove it when one of the Earthbenders pulled a boulder out of the ground and shot it straight at Mai. The girl dropped to the ground in a spin, letting the massive projective pass over her head, extending one leg towards her attacker and firing off a flurry of darts from her ankle launcher. Of course, few trained warriors were kind enough to attack one at a time, so Mai allowed her spin to carry her around in a full circle, tossing razor discs and knives as she went.

The first Earthbender tripped over the arrow darts that had landed by his feet and formed a cage around them.

The second Earthbender flinched at the sight of a razor disc sailing right towards her face, but the disc traveled a specific path, and only passed close-enough to sever the strap keeping her helmet from falling over her eyes.

The third Earthbender got a series of blades embedded in his arms, keeping him from performing any bending movements without considerable pain. (Hey, they can't all be non-violent.)

By the time each Earthbender recovered enough to even look for Mai, she had closed the distance to each one and staked their uniforms to the rocky ground with her toughest knives. "Now, I don't suppose any of you losers have seen a drooling toddler around here, or a Water Tribe boy who talks too much?"

That's when a strange, metallic-blue object flashed through the air around Mai, curving to circle here, and trailing a tough rope that was quickly drawn taut around Mai. She had been _tied up_, with her hands trapped at her sides.

Well, this was something new. _Annoying and stupid_, but new.

"I do not talk too much. I was actually trying to prevent a fight, not that you seem to care."

Mai turned to glare at her attacker. The Water Tribe boy had emerged from around a bend in the canyon, holding Tom-Tom. The baby seemed to be quite pleased with the arrangements, reaching his hands up towards his kidnapper's mouth. Mai couldn't say she agreed. "Can I just say that this is the rudest greeting I've ever received?"

"I find that hard to believe."

"Untie me!"

"I would. I just want to make sure I won't get holes carved into me before we finish here."

Mai smirked, kicked a leg up, and launched a set of darts from her ankle. Sadly, the Water Tribe boy was as quick as ever. He ducked, and the darts passed through the space that his head and ridiculous hair-do had occupied a moment before. Not only had Mai missed _again_, but the attack had unbalanced her, with her hands still stuck at her side, and she toppled to the ground rather roughly.

Not that the Water Tribe terrorist cared. "What is wrong with you? I'm holding your baby brother!" The baby in question was clapping with delight at the show.

Mai tried to turn over to aim another shot. "Trust me, I wouldn't have hit him."

"Says you. Pin her down, for all our sakes."

The Earthbenders, having taken the opportunity to free themselves, now returned Mai's blades to her by way of stapling her own clothes to the filthy ground. Could this _get_ any more humiliating?

"Now what do we do with her?" one of the soldiers asked.

"We get a rock," the eldest of them growled. He took a stance, pulled a good-sized boulder out of the ground, and held it aloft.

"No!" The Water Tribe boy hustled to stand between Mai and the rock. "Did any of you listen to the plan? Because I made the plan up, and I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything about large rocks and prisoners. We give the baby back, and we get out of here. That's the plan I came up with. That ring a bell for anyone? Because this baby isn't going to walk himself back to Omashu."

The offending Earthbender scowled and threw the rock away. "You're going to come to regret this, boy. I don't know what they taught you about fighting back home, but you don't leave a living enemy at your back. Whatever happens after this is your responsibility."

The Water Tribe boy just groaned. "Trust me, buddy, I hear you. I'm not a monk like Aang, but we have to keep the _results_ in mind." At that, he actually turned to Mai and shrugged apologetically. "Aang isn't here right now. I took the plans to King Bumi's coffin-thing out of your dad's office, and we figured out where you had to be keeping him suspended. Did your dad really design that and the bridges himself? He's pretty smart."

Mai just glared.

"Fine, be that way. Anyway, since Aang and my sister are off taking Bumi back from you, I'm going to give your little brother back now. We'll just put him in a little Earthy playpen right here, and by the time you get yourself loose, we should be on our way to meeting up with our friends and getting out of here. You can take your brother back home, and if you want my advice, start working on getting yourself a better attitude. I mean, seriously, arrow-shooters on your ankles? Who even _thinks_ of something like that? Anyway, no hard feelings?"

Mai responded to that in the most expressive way she knew how.

The Water Tribe boy quickly covered Tom-Tom's ears. "Not in front of the _baby_. Ugh, are all Fire Nation girls like you?"

For the first time in a while, Mai felt a smirk return to her face. "They wish."

* * *

It all happened as the barbarian described, and it was sunset by the time Mai got back to Omashu with Tom-Tom. To her invisible surprise, her old friends Princess Azula and Ty Lee, of all people, were waiting for her at the city's front gate. Mai quickly handed her brother off to one of the guards and bowed formally. "You honor me with your visit." She straightened and examined her oldest friend; Azula didn't seem upset. "Did they get Bumi?"

The princess huffed. "No, we prevented that much, but the Avatar got away. Actually, I was hoping you would join me on a mission I've been given by my Father. I was originally supposed to be tracking down and arresting my brother, but I have enough leeway to add a secondary objective for the good of the Fire Nation. Care to help me find and defeat the greatest threat our country has every known?"

Mai didn't hesitate. "Count me in. _Anything_ to get me out of this place, with its crazy resistance fighters."

As they made off, Ty Lee trotted over to Mai's side and smiled slyly. "It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again, _won't it_, Mai?"

"Hm? Yeah, I guess."

**END**


	3. Wilderness

**Age of Maikka - Wilderness**

Aang just _had_ to visit the smelly swamp.

Granted, it wasn't a _totally_ unreasonable request. When they made the decision, it had just seemed like a normal- if kind of big- swamp, with the usual mix of trees and slimy water and killer 'gators and more bugs than Sokka had even known existed. Unpleasant, but no more so than Chin Village. Or Crescent Island. Or Jet's tree house. Or the Great Divide.

Omashu was kind of fun, though. It was one of those things that became more enjoyable in retrospect.

Of course, Omashu had an added stigma that was really starting to poison the memories. Unlike the other Bad Places, Omashu didn't keep its badness to itself. Specifically, Aang, Sokka, and Katara were currently being _attacked_ by _three crazy girls who could kill people as easy as Sokka could throw Boomerang_. Aang and Katara said they met the Firebender and the Cute Pink One when trying to rescue Bumi, and Sokka himself fondly remembered tying up the Gloomy Knife Girl (Mai, he recalled) and leaving her in the middle of nowhere. How was it fair that the whole evil group caught up with Team Avatar at the edge of this stupid swamp?

And what was it with Fire Nation people and a desire to chase the Avatar of said team? Didn't any of them have homes?

Sokka frowned when he realized that he himself had left home for the sake of the Avatar. Of course, _that_ was completely different because Katara was going to leave _anyway_-

Sokka frowned even deeper when he realized that the scary tornado tearing through the swampy battlefield hadn't been created by Aang after all.

Oh ...

* * *

Mai was suspicious of all places that could be considered Outside, but was thinking of creating a special place of Hate in her heart for the swamp. It stank, the plants here were _gooey_, the water was about as clear as mud (in fact, there was very little to actually differentiate it from mud, to Mai's increasing nausea), and the humidity was simply _ruining_ her hair.

Mai had never before considered using her weapons to harm herself, but after being picked up by a tornado, tossed deep into the swamp, and subsequently wandering around for hours trying to find her way out, the girl was really starting to wonder which would be a faster way to die- slit throat, slit wrists, or good old-fashioned seppuku?

Plus, she was hungry. Mai got cranky when she was hungry.

It was sometime in late afternoon, when the humidity had surpassed the heat and was blanketing the area in with its soporific influence, that the hallucinations struck. Mai was creeping along a long branch that ran above the water, her eyes fixed on the filthy mix below that she was desperately hoping not to fall into, when she gave a brief glance forward to confirm her path.

Mother was sitting on the branch, dangling her feet and bouncing Tom-Tom on her lap.

Mai blinked.

Mother was right in front of her.

Okaaaaay.

Mother turned to look at Mai, and her eyes matched her smile. "Oh, Mai, I can't thank you enough."

"..."

"You brought Tom-Tom back to us unharmed, all by yourself. There's no greater service you could have done your family, and I appreciate you for it."

Definitely a hallucination, then. Perhaps Mai should just sit for moment and close her eyes. Didn't excess sunlight cause vision damage? Mai thought she recalled hearing something about that.

When she opened her eyes, Father had taken Mother's place, and Tom-Tom was no where to be seen. "Why do hate us, Mai? Don't you want everything we've tried to give you? Stability, power, and safety?"

Mai frowned. "When did I say I wanted that?"

"Why do you hate us, Mai?"

Oh. Right. Hallucination. Well, talking to things that weren't there wasn't a bad sign _at all_.

Mai closed her eyes again and focused on her breathing. She took a series of deep, slow breaths, like she had seen Azula do while meditating, and tried not to think about how much she hated this swamp.

When Mai opened her eyes, Zuko was in front her, with his half his face on fire. The skin was popping and sizzling. "What _do_ you want?" he asked.

Mai screamed and fell off her branch.

By the time she resurfaced from the swamp's semi-solid water-esque depths, she had company. The Water Tribe Terrorist Boy from Omashu was leaning over her, and his face fell when he recognized her. "Oh. I thought you were my sister."

"Where is-" Mai cut herself off. Hallucination. It had to be. He was gone forever. "Never mind... although, you're not a mirage, are you?"

The boy frowned. "I'm not. Are _you_?"

Mai wiped the mud off her face. "_I'm_ not. Does that mean that you've been seeing things, too?"

"Maybe."

At that point, the conversation died.

The Water Tribe boy leaned back. "Well, it's been fun, but I should probably get going."

The image of Zuko's burning face flashed through Mai's mind. "Um! Actually, do you think you could, um, not? It would probably be easier to get out of here if we helped each other, and, well, I don't think it's a good idea to be alone in this place. For either of us."

The boy's lack of reaction was a little off-putting, which was unfair, because that was supposed to be Mai's gimmick. "Yeah, okay, let's stick together."

"Great. Good idea." She held a hand out. "I'm Mai."

"Yeah, your mother said it when I was... kind of kidnapping your brother. Anyway, I'm Sokka."

* * *

Mai (specified as being spelled with an I), was surprisingly docile company. Admittedly, Sokka hadn't spent a lot of time around her before now, but the impression he had gotten was that she had some kind of compulsive-rudeness disorder, exacerbated by an angry violent streak. It wasn't that she was _pleasant_ company, no, but her complaints fell far short of what Katara could accomplish during a bad mood.

"So, do you have any idea where we're going?" she asked after quite a bit of walking.

Sokka pointed. "That's East. So, yes, I know where we're going. If I knew where we are _now_, that would be even more helpful, so that I could be sure we were heading for the closest edge of the swamp. For all I know, we could be taking the long way."

"Ah," was all she said to that. Sokka would have expected at least one insult, but all he got was a good question. "And is there a particular reason we're gambling on East being closest?"

"Well, that's where we started. When we were fighting, I mean." Sokka paused to give her a chance to say something, but she stayed silent. "I'm hoping that my sister and Aang will be there."

"Wouldn't the tornado probably have gotten them, too?"

"I hope not."

"Ah."

The canopy above them was quite thick, and the pair of travelers was far short of the swamp's Eastern edge when they had to stop for the night. Sokka picked out a tree with a sharp curve, and began piling chopped branches in its sheltering crook. "Any objection to a fire?"

Mai just sat down without looking at him. "You're the Expert Survivalist here. I'll defer to your judgment."

Sokka smiled. "Wow. No one's ever actually said that to me before. It feels _good_. Can you say it again?"

This display succeeded in drawing her attention. "No. It's making you far too happy, and you haven't even bought me dinner yet."

Once Sokka figured out that it was a joke, he burst out laughing. Mai's face twisted into something that might have been amusement. "It wasn't _that_ funny."

"Says you! Trust me, it gets the Water Tribe Rite of Approval."

"Oh, so now you're an Expert Humorist, too?"

"Sokka of the Water Tribe, at your service."

Abruptly, Mai's face went slack again. "Right. I almost forgot."

Oh yeah, Mai was an _enemy_ wasn't she? "So, um, we might as well get some sleep. The fire should keep away any predators, and if Aang or my sister are nearby, they'll see it."

"Or, Azula and Ty Lee will see it."

"Yeah. Or that."

They stared at each other. Mai spoke first. "Look, I don't particularly care about whatever it is you and friends are doing. All I want is to get out of this Spirits-forsaken mudhole. So as far as I'm concerned, once that's been accomplished, you can do whatever you want. Fair?"

That was probably the best concession he could hope for. "Close enough. So... sleepy time?"

"Yes, but don't call it that again. Also, that side of the fire is yours, this side is mine. There will be no touching."

"Yeah, don't worry about that. I don't know what you've heard about the Water Tribes, but only the good stuff is true."

"Good to know. There will be no more talking, now."

"_Yes, milady._"

Her retort was most definitely not lady-like. Still, Sokka couldn't help but ask for one more concession, before he gave in to his fatigue. Mai had admitted, earlier, that she had seen things in the swamp. Something disturbing, Sokka realized, given her strong desire to make this alliance work. He couldn't imagine what could be worse than Yue blaming him for her death, and then telling him to follow the sounds of the screaming, but it had to be pretty good if Lady Gloomy had been put off balance like that. "So, uh, what did you see in the swamp?"

"I thought I said no talking?"

"I was just curious."

"I don't care."

"...what _do_ you care about, if everything I'm trying to do doesn't matter to you?"

"...the fact that my underwear is _still_ soggy." Shortly after that, she was asleep.

* * *

Mai must have been a lucky charm for Sokka, because they did indeed find Aang, Katara, and Appa the next morning. Aang agreed to give Mai a lift out of the swamp, and while the trip was _very_ awkward with everyone in Appa's saddle together, at least there was no attempted murder.

_That_ was _always_ a good start to the day.

**END**


	4. Behave

**Age of Maikka - Behave**

Really, Mai was going to earn herself a reputation if she continued this way. Traveling alone, in the middle of nowhere, with two different teenage boys? Mother would be scandalized, but likely only if news got out amongst the other nobles. (Mai had long been aware that her parents' wedding had been held less than nine months before her own birth, but had never inquired into the dirty but surely disappointingly mundane details.)

Still, mother could hardly object if Prince Zuko had _asked_ for her company, right?

Mai had heard from her uncle, who could be trusted to have experience with such things, that one of the most psychologically damaging things that could be done a sane person is to lock them up without human contact. It was the fastest method the Fire Nation had on record for destroying someone's peace of mind, and the implications were that it wasn't always possible to recover from the damage.

Mai had always figured that was for _normal_ people. The idea of a week or month or several years with no one to bother her (but with something else to do to keep her occupied, of course) sounded like the closest thing she could get to a treat.

That was before she had escaped from the swamp and realized she had no idea where Azula and Ty Lee were. _And_ she was technically in Earth Kingdom territory. _And_ she wasn't exactly experienced at translating what she saw on a map to the actual landscape around her.

At least Sokka had _given_ her a map. It was filthy, but it was a nice thought. And Mai found the use of little red frowny faces to label Fire Nation territory to be ironically amusing.

Azula had been leading Mai and Ty Lee to Ren Yi fortress when they had received word of the Avatar sighting that eventually led them to The Hated Swamp, so that's where Mai decided to head. After three days of walking through boring grassy fields and dusty former riverbeds, with no change of clothes, and nothing to eat but some gifted jerky of unknown origin, with _not so much as another human being in sight_, and Mai was starting to consider the attractiveness of just giving up and going insane.

That's when she found the track lines in the grass. Something metal had to have made them. Metal meant the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation meant a hot bath and proper food. Oh, and her friends. An hour into following them, she was overtaken by a man on an ostrich horse. When he reached her, he brought his mount to a halt and hopped off. She hadn't recognized him until he took his hat off, and even then, she only realized his identity thanks to her recent hallucination in the swamp. The memory of his burning face made her flinch as soon as she saw his scar.

Zuko's face hardened, and she knew she had hurt him. "Hello, Zuko."

"Mai. It _is_ you. What... how... ?"

Leave it to Zuko to pick up on the most uncomfortable questions. "My family is administering Omashu. Azula came by to recruit me on a mission. We... well, we were supposed to be hunting _you_, but we got sidetracked by the Avatar."

"Are you going to attack me?"

Mai allowed herself a sigh. "I don't particularly want to. Azula doesn't have to know about this. It's not the first secret I'm planning to keep from her."

His face was so stone-like, like it had been carved into a permanent scowl. What had happened to the Zuko who wore his every emotion as plain as an unpleasantly bright day? When had he become as unpleasant as _herself_? "These tracks belong to Azula's latest toy, and she's on the Avatar's trail right now, towards Gaoling. I've been following them."

"Why? Zuko, Azula is going to get the Avatar, sooner or later, and then she'll turn her attention back to you. I'd recommend going to one of the Water Tribes, but I wouldn't actually wish that fate on someone I don't hate. But you should still run as far as you can."

He just stared at her, and then stepped back towards his ostrich-horse. "I _have_ to restore my honor. I'll give you a ride if you want, and let you down just short of wherever Azula makes he camp. But I won't stop following. Will you... tell her?"

Mai knew she might have to, but couldn't bring herself to say it. So much for childish fancy. "Let's go."

* * *

"MAI!" It was appropriate that the first greeting was a high-speed pink projectile. It wasn't the first time she had nearly been knocked off her feet in such a manner. "You made it out of the swamp!"

Mai gave the small return hug that would signal Ty Lee to let her breathe. "You mean you weren't sure?"

Ty Lee started to say something, stopped, frowned, and then shook her head. "Azula spotted the Sky Bison flying away and didn't want them to gain too much of a lead."

"Charming."

Azula was in the biggest tent, of course, and smiled when she saw Mai. She claimed she knew Mai would get out all right, claimed to appreciate having Mai back, and then claimed that Mai needed a good, long bath.

The princess was right about the last part.

* * *

"Hey, fancy meeting you here."

"Who were you expecting?"

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know."

"So, do we have to do this?"

"Yes, but I promise to try not to draw blood."

"I appreciate that. Really."

"More sarcasm?"

* * *

"You... aw, no, Azula is here?"

"Not necessarily. Maybe I just wanted to hang out with you."

"Really?"

"No."

"Dangit."

* * *

"You know, you're _killing_ my sister."

"I didn't throw anything at her!"

"No, I mean all the sewing I have to get her to do on my shirts and pants."

"I could start aiming for your face, if that would make her feel better."

"Hn. So, are you just going to hang out here and leave me stuck against this tree?"

"If Azula asks, tell her it took a lot longer to pin you than it really did."

* * *

"OW!"

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"You _hit_ me! With a _club_! What is that thing made out of, anyway? Tell me it wasn't once part of an animal!"

"I was trying to knock the knife out of your hand! It's not my fault you moved!"

"I wasn't going to _stab_ you with it!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?"

"Why would I stab you?"

"It's your _job_!"

"And yours is to hit me?"

"Hey, I appreciate your good attitude about all this, but you _do_ help your princess attack us all the time."

"Good attitude?"

"Well, yeah, you're fun enough to hang out with."

"...that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. I forgive you for hitting me."

"The nicest... no one ever told you that you're pretty?"

"Why would I believe them?"

* * *

"Hi."

"Wha-!"

"I don't know a Wha. Is Wha a He or a She?"

"_How_ did you find us?"

"You didn't hear this from me, but your Bison's shedding."

"Oh. _Oh_."

"What?"

"That means Appa is going to be in the danger area. Danger is bad!"

"And?"

"And, normally, we like to keep him _away_ from the Firebenders. Azula may not have your aim, but she can probably hit the broadside of a Bison."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh. I gotta go help. And, uh, you didn't find me?"

"Drat. I have terrible night vision. I didn't see any of the Avatar's allies."

"Thanks!"

"Is Wha prettier than I am?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

* * *

One time, before Yue and Toph and Mai, Sokka had tried to get Aang and Katara to try walking to their next destination, instead of riding the giant fluffy bison with an arrow on its head over Fire Nation territory, where anyone could see it. He had, of course, been ridiculed. True genius was never appreciated in its own time.

Sokka thought perhaps that he preferred those simpler, No-Appreciation Times. Back then, it was all about getting Aang and Katara to the North Pole, no other complications. They had been pursued by Zuko, but he was pretty stupid for a recurring antagonist, and Zhao was even worse. Even better, the bad guys had been bad guys, and that was that. Zuko certainly hadn't kept popping into his thoughts in completely inappropriate ways. (Suki had, infrequently, but that certainly didn't carry any feelings of guilt with it.) Still, that last part was becoming kind of fun. Mai was almost as diverting when she wasn't around as when she was.

Back then, Sokka didn't really _know_ the price of failure.

The Water Tribe boy followed the flashes in the night sky, and the closer he got, the worse the sounds were. They were the FWOOM of Firebending, the WSSSH of Airbending, the QRRL and KLSH of Waterbending, the BRGGG of Earthbending, and a manic female voice cooing over how fluffy the Sky Bison was. The worst sound was heard just as Sokka arrived at the sight of the main battle, when Appa let out an agonized roar over the blue burst of fire that had just landed on its tail.

Ten tons of flying Sky Bison fell from the sky and landed with a BOOM.

Fortunately, he hadn't been too high up, so he was probably mostly okay, except for the burn. Unfortunately, there was a greater danger than either a fall or an evil crazy Firebender.

The night began glowing blue, the light emanating from a devastated twelve-year old monk. Sokka squinted his eyes against the sudden glare, and made out the confused faces of Toph and that Ty Lee girl, Katara's horrified expression, and an evil smirk of evil satisfaction on Azula's evil face.

Aang rose into the sky.

Azula moved one of her arms in a wide arc that dipped close to the ground.

Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed blue.

Florescent electricity crackled between the ground and Azula's fingers.

Sokka raised his hand to throw Boomerang, and knew he'd be too late. That's when a blur flew passed his head, carried onward towards the main scene without appreciably slowing down, and smacked Azula right in the center of her forehead. The Fire Princess dropped to the ground like a sack of cabbages, and didn't move.

Sokka turned to see Mai, grimacing, with one of her hands empty and the other holding a fist-sized rock. "You?"

"Run. I'll blame your boomerang."

"You run, too."

"Why?"

"Aang is about to let loose with the full power of the Avatar."

The wind picked up, yanking at Mai's hair. "Yeah, I think we'll go."

She dashed over to Azula, threw her over her shoulders, and ran back past Sokka, calling for Ty Lee to follow her. Sokka, in turn, dashed over to Toph, grabbed her by the shoulders, and began shoving the shocked Earthbender along to safety.

Katara, he left in they eye of the storm, where she'd be safest.

**END**


	5. Pragmatic

**Age of Maikka - Pragmatic**

Mai never claimed to be smart. She assumed it, and let that color her disdain for everyone and everything around her, but she never actually put forth a formal claim. That was good, because right now, she was looking back on the previous night and wondering _what by the light of First Fire_ she had done.

_Attacking_ Azula!

_Saving_ the Avatar!

_Betraying_ her country!

At what point had she caught a case of the stupids? Even Ty Lee knew better. Not that Mai had any individual regrets about any of those actions. Azula was Mai's friend, and they probably knew each other better than anyone else, but that familiarity bred contempt like rabarroos in heat; Mai knew Azula as a sociopathic glory-hound who was up to her ears in parent issues and wouldn't hesitate to use even her friends as expendable assets, while Azula knew Mai as a mysanthrope with repressed anger issues and no interest in the power games that Fire Nation society thrived on, and their shared darkness made them natural companions. As for the Avatar, Mai bore him no personal ill will, and while it was said that he was fighting his crusade in order to bring the Fire Nation low and return the world to the superstitious ways of old, Mai wasn't particularly concerned; he was making for interesting times, and if he proved a real problem to her lifestyle, he was still mortal, and there would always be someone looking to take him down. As for her country... Mai liked it better than the others, and had a vested interest in making sure it stayed intact, but she wouldn't blink an eye if tomorrow the Avatar ended the war and liberated all the colonies.

That's what Mai told herself. She didn't care about anything but her own gratification.

So why had she done it?

Once she stopped putting so much energy into the denial, it was obvious. She did it for Sokka, of course. She had... grown fond of him. He had a certain amount of wit, and even at his most stupid, he was still amusing. Although he fell far short of Mai when in came to ingrained pessimism, he still had a very practical view of the world that Mai found quite refreshing. However, he was also fairly kind, and had definite ideas about the proper way to treat people, even if he didn't feel the need to get himself killed by forcing them on the world. It was silly, but... Mai _liked_ the way he joked for her, and helped her get out of the swamp, and treated her like a friend even as they fought on opposing sides.

Plus, she enjoyed catching him eying her. Perhaps it was as they said, that a person could find _anyone_ attractive if given enough time and familiarity.

That might explain why she found him so good-looking, lately.

Of course, that highlighted the main issue. Mai had risked ruining her own life (and possibly getting herself killed) because she had a _thing_ for Sokka, and _that_... was _pathetic_. Mai would have liked to believe herself above such things, and the shattering of that particular illusion was quite depressing. It wasn't even that he was the love of her life or anything; he just a boy she thought about all the time and whose mere prescence made her happier.

Mother, it seemed, was right. Repression was not good for Mai's sanity.

Of course, Mai wasn't going to tell Azula _any_ of this.

"The _Water Tribe boy_?"

"I'm afraid so, Princess. He was away from the camp when I made my approach, and I didn't see him in the dark and so passed him by completely. He attacked you from the sidelines with his projectile weapon."

Azula touched her forehead, and grimaced as her fingers probed the ugly bruise. "That was a remarkably good shot."

"I must admit that I'm impressed, too. I might have to look into getting one of those 'boomerangs,' if they can be thrown like that. Perhaps they can be sharpened, too."

"So then you carried me away?"

"I made that decision, yes. Ty Lee wasn't reacting- this 'Avatar State' might have measurable psychological effect on any undisciplined minds nearby- and I didn't know how badly you were hurt. The numbers and scale of force had drastically turned against us, so running seemed to me like the best option. I apologize if I misjudged the situation."

Azula sighed. "No, you didn't have the tactical sense to make the best of the situation. And without me, you and Ty Lee would have been overwhelmed in seconds if you had made any hostile moves. The preservation of my life _is_ your highest priority objective, and you accomplished that."

Mai bowed. "Thank you, princess."

"Mai?"

"Yes?"

"I still think it best if you focused on improving your performance. You let the Water Tribe boy get past you last night, and there's been a steady pattern of him giving you trouble throughout our engagements. Your skills certainly haven't suffered, so perhaps Ty Lee isn't the only one suseptible to psychological attacks, hm?"

Mai kept her face still as her heart began thudding. "I'm sorry, princess. He's smarter than he first appears to be."

"I doubt that, Mai." Azula looked Mai directly in the eyes. "Perhaps you're... underestimating him?"

"I'll take that under advisement. Thank you for pointing it out to me."

"Of course, Mai. We're a team, and friends besides. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't try to help you?"

Mai bowed as low as she could. Her hair dangled on either side of her stonelike face. "I've always been grateful for your friendship, and will remain so for as long as I live."

"Exactly. Now, I have a headache, so I'd prefer to be alone now. Please inform Ty Lee that we'll be leaving in two hours. The Avatar and his followers won't get far with an injured Sky Bison, and that should give our scouts time to find them."

Mai left Azula's tent, fighting the urge to vomit. _Azula knows_.

* * *

"The gloomy one with the knives?"

"Yeah, remember, we gave her a ride out of the swamp?"

"Yeah, but..."

"What?"

"Sokka..."

"_What?_"

"What Aang and Katara are trying to say is that they didn't know you went for the dark, sighing type."

"I huh?"

"Toph!"

"Actually, she's right. That's exactly what I was thinking."

"I'm not... I mean, she's... I..."

"Face it, Lover Boy, you have a _thing_."

"But we're just friends!"

"Friends who betray Azula to save Aang's life?"

"...maybe she's really grateful for that ride out of the swamp? I have it on good authority that she really hates the feel of soggy underwear."

"..."

"..."

"Aw, come on! That was a perfect setup! Don't make me do all the jokes! Go for it!"

"All right, so maybe I kind of like her a little as a Her. So what?"

"So, now what?"

"Huh?"

"Sokka, she betrayed _Azula_ for you, and now she's back with them. What now? Do we go back to fighting her? Is she going to fight us? Do we need to help her?"

"Wow, Katara, you don't go for easy questions, do you?"

"Not for you, big brother."

"Okay, so, let's say I wouldn't mind not having her as an enemy anymore. _And_, it wouldn't hurt to assume that it would be pretty cool if we could make our join the group permanently. The thing is, how do we make it happen, especially with Appa unable to fly for at least a few days? And how do we know she feels the same way about me? "

"I knew you were oblivious."

"What do you mean by that, Toph?"

"Yeah. What?"

"You boys are clueless."

"Thanks?"

"Anyway, I say we worry about this a little later."

"Why?"

"Because, from what I can feel, we've been surrounded by a group of women with metal weapons, and they're whispering Sokka's name a lot. That ring any bells for you guys?"

* * *

She knows.

_She knows._

No, she can't _know_. Mai would be dead if she knew. So, think. Azula hinted that she blamed Mai for Sokka's actions. Okay, maybe Azula thinks there's some affection there, and is warning Mai to shape up and start behaving, but didn't know about what Mai did last night. That would explain it.

The dispassionate analysis helped Mai recover her balance.

Okay.

So, now what?

Mai didn't want to hurt Sokka. Moreover, she couldn't trust herself to so much as let Azula hurt Sokka's friends, not if he was emoting in front of her. Plus, this was _Azula_. She would definitely make Mai prove her loyalty at some point soon. And that... was an uncomfortable thought.

Mai decided that she really missed being bored at home. Ty Lee was wrong- drama was quite unenjoyable.

Of course, it came down to a simple truth. Azula would force Mai to pick a side, and that would involve doing what she didn't want to and hurting Sokka, either physically or emotionally. Mai could choose to obey Azula, and benefit externally, while accepting emotional hurt as the price. Or, she could abandon Azula, be classified as a fugitive and possibly a terrorist, and have to go on the run, either into obscurity somewhere in the Earth Kingdom (like she had urged Zuko to do), or with the Avatar's group. In that case, she would get Sokka's company, and perhaps more from him if she decided she wanted it, but would have to give up everything else that made life tolerable, like regular meals.

As that vision of Zuko had asked, what _did_ she want?

Perhaps the trauma of hurting Sokka wouldn't be so bad, after all?

Ugh.

* * *

"Hi, uh, Suki."

"Hi, Sokka."

"Uh, good to, uh, see you!"

"Why are you acting like you're in trouble?"

"Well... you know how you thought I was a big jerk when you first met me?"

"Yeah. But you proved me wrong."

"Well, yeah, kind of. In a certain way. But, uh, turns out I'm a little bit of a jerk in other ways."

"Wha... oh."

"Uh..."

"The little blind girl?"

"What? Toph? No! ...actually, it's worse than that."

"It's... okay, Sokka. Really."

"I'm real sorry."

"I know. It's not your fault. I'm just disappointed. Thank you for telling me."

"It's worse than that."

"_Oh?_"

"I have a plan related to all this, and I really need your help with it. You, and the other Kyoshi Warriors."

**END**


	6. Compromise

**Age of Maikka - Compromise**

Mai hated having sweaty palms. Aside from generally loathing the experience of sweating, it was also a significant source of danger for someone who handled knives frequently, especially with the variety and breadth of Mai's signature styles.

The scouts had reported in quickly. The Avatar and his group were on the move, but they weren't flying. A massive, distinctive trail was being left by what was presumably the injured Sky Bison; it was hard to be sure, given that the Avatar, and possibly his Earthbender, were erasing the marks on the ground. Still, one couldn't move ten-tons of meat and hair without leaving behind some signs, and Azula was employing only the best trackers.

So the Princess' Fire Nation task force was on the trail. Azula herself led the way, followed by Mai and Ty Lee, followed by a detachment of the Crimson Royal Guard.

Azula had said that this was the critical moment in the long chase. It was impossible to be sure, given the erratic path that had begun with the detour through Foggy Swamp, but it looked like the Avatar was making his way to Ba Sing se. (Mai had purposely never asked Sokka such things.) If he succeeded in getting past the Great Walls, nothing short of an invasion of the Earth Kingdom's last stronghold would be able to target him again. Full Moon Bay, the launching point for a ferry that sailed directly into Ba Sing Se, was only a day's march away, and that little holdout was famous for both its security and the various ways it could be brought down on top of any invaders' heads in the event of an attack.

One way or another, it was all going to end today.

Which meant that the time to choose and act had come for Mai. She either had to choose Azula, and the comfortable life she offered, or throw it all away for a boy that Mai really didn't know that well. The fact that Mai was even considering such a ridiculous choice was proof that had lost all common sense.

She should have just killed herself back in the swamp.

* * *

It all ended that afternoon in a pleasant box canyon.

A waterfall fell from the tall cliffs to feed a deep pool in the center, and it was there that the Avatar's group could be found. The little Earthbender was sitting with her eyes closed on a large rock right next the water, and the older boomerang boy was lying, seemingly asleep, on the ground nearby. The Avatar, his Waterbender, and the Sky Bison were all in the shallowest part of the pool, doing something with the water and the Bison's tail that produced a faint glowing effect.

As soon as Azula set foot in the canyon, the Earthbender's eyes snapped open. "They're here."

The Fire Princess smirked. "Interesting place you've chosen for a last stand, Avatar. Nice of you to trap yourselves for me."

Unsettlingly, there was no panic. The Avatar and the Water Tribe girl calmly turned to face the invaders and took Waterbending stances. The boomerang boy hopped to his feet, strange club-like weapons in hand. The Earthbender clambered to all fours atop her rock.

There was a moment where there should have been at least a little taunting, but no one spoke. The sounds of the waterfall and the feel of the pre-battle tension were all that filled the air.

Then all Inferno broke loose.

Fire flew, warriors dashed forward, water traveled in strange patterns, a rock the size of a fat merchant leapt up from the ground, and an ice dome rose from the pool to cover the Sky Bison. Above it all, a flying lemur twirled in panicked circles.

It was on.

* * *

Mai had to admit that she was surprised. The Avatar's group had never struck her as a particularly effective fighting unit; granted, they were good warriors, individually, and worked well together in larger battles, but there was a distinctly amateurish quality to them that they never seemed to overcome.

This, though? This _ambush_ was proceeding with military precision.

As Mai threw herself to the side to dodge a flying boulder, tossing a group of small blades meant more to discourage further attacks than actually hit anything, she couldn't help but appreciate the chosen battlefield. It was made of rock, from the ground to the tall walls surrounding everything, and with the waterfall and pool, offered a limitless supply of water to bend available readily in large quantities. The size of the dead end allowed more than enough room to fight and maneuver, but denied the Firebenders the distance to perform a long-scale bombardment.

Maybe Mai wouldn't have to make a choice. Maybe she would die before it ever came to that.

Mai brought her hands up and scanned the scene with her wrist dart-launchers at ready, but before she could choose a target, a wave of water hopped into the air and threatened to complete a parabolic arc right on top of Mai's heard. The knife-thrower dodged, throwing herself into a backwards roll that was surely dirtying her clothes and playing havoc with her hair. She came to a stop in a crouch, and once more turned her gaze from side-to-side in an attempt to make sense of the scene before her.

That's when a set of set of strong arms grabbed Mai from behind and pulled her against a petite armored body. "Gotcha!"

* * *

Azula was _on the defensive_.

It was... disconcerting.

The Avatar was giving her his total focus, switching between Air and Waterbending at will, keeping up a steady stream of attacks that Azula constantly had to defend against. Normally, he fought rather passively, preferring to dodge and evade, retreating with his friends at the first opportunity. This time, though, his face was hard and fearsome, and he was standing his ground more like an Earthbender than anything he had been before. Of course, he was still an Airbender by nature, and when Azula managed to build up enough fighting momentum to push back with an attack, he scampered away from his position and towards dry land.

Except Azula couldn't press her attack, because the Waterbender girl easily shifted her attention away from keeping Ty Lee at bay- even the acrobat's best maneuvers hadn't yet managed to close the distance towards an angry Waterbender with an entire lake at her disposal- and turned to lash at Azula with tentacles of water. Before Azula could even _think_ of a way to counter that, the Avatar was back in the fight, pushing head-sized boulders at Azula in a pattern that forced her deeper into the water. Azula quickly scanned around for the Sky Bison, hoping to use an attack on him as a distraction, but all she could see was a massive, very thick dome in the center of the lake. Her fireballs dissipated harmlessly against the ice walls, and even the little amount of melting she induced was off-handedly repaired by the Waterbender as she launched ice darts at Ty Lee with her other hand.

Had they _practiced_ this?

And where exactly were Azula's minions? Ty Lee, she had accounted for, but as she tried to dodge back towards land, Azula noticed that her entire division of elite Firebender guards was being thoroughly trounced by the little Earthbender girl, who was shouting taunts like, "Finally, we're standing our ground! And that's trouble for you!" and, "What's the matter? A little blind girl too much for the big bad Firebenders?" with outright glee.

_Who_ was that girl?

_And where the blazes was Mai?_

* * *

"Let go of me you-" Mai was ready to fire a dart from her ankle-launcher into her ambusher's foot, when a new voice arrested her motion.

"Hey, Mai, stop it! Truce!"

Sokka.

The girl holding Mai secured her grip. "So this _is_ the one. The pink girl is cuter."

"Hey, come on, Suki, play nice. Please."

"It's okay, Sokka." The ambusher- Suki- shifted so that her head was right behind Mai's ear. "I'm going to let you go now. Sokka wants to talk to you. Don't make any threatening moves, and I'll let you two have your privacy. Okay?"

Mai didn't know what to do.

"Come on, Mai," Sokka pleaded, stepping up close to her. His was visibly anxious, wringing his hands together. "This is important."

Mai nodded dumbly.

Suki let go, and took a step back. "Okay, you two say what you need to. I'll bring in the other Warriors as cover." Mai turned to glance at her ambusher, and was mildly disgusted. The girl was dressed in a green dress, over which she wore chest armor, and her face was painted in a manner that would have proclaimed her a prostitute in the Fire Nation. Really, the whole ensemble was colorfully tacky.

The characteristic disgust helped Mai center herself. Things were okay if she could make harsh snap judgments about people.

Then Suki whistled.

* * *

The Avatar glanced up at the sound of someone giving a sharp whistle. Azula was tempted to exploit his distraction, but good tactical sense told her that he was still attentive enough to notice a big blue fireball flying towards him, and besides, the whistling might be important.

Azula looked up where the Avatar had.

A group of girls in battle-dresses, their faces painted like Avatar Kyoshi, had revealed themselves at the top of the canyon and were repelling down the sides to join the battle, metal war fans and katanas in hand.

Oh, _come on_!

Didn't these people know that Azula was supposed to conquer them?

* * *

"Mai."

"...Sokka."

"Um. Well, I known this is kind of sudden, and we don't know each other that well, but do you want to escape Azula and join our gang?"

What.

"We, uh... well, I had the idea that we could ambush you guys, and use the battle to give you the opportunity to escape Azula. If you wanted. Suki helped me work out the timing. Anyway, I know we've only known each other for a little while, but..."

Mai couldn't help but stare at him.

"I was at the North Pole when Zhao attacked it. I lost... someone really special to me, there. I failed at being a real warrior, and she didn't have a choice but to give her life to make up for my mistakes. I didn't think I'd be able to recover from that."

What.

"But then I met you, and you were trying to kill me, I think. Or at least take me prisoner. But we met in the swamp, and you actually turned out to be okay. Mostly. And after that... Mai, I really like you. The same way I felt about the girl who died because of me in the North Pole."

Mai couldn't help but notice that Suki was paying close attention, despite being several feet away.

"I don't know how it happened, or why, but I couldn't let the same thing happen to you, after you saved Aang the other night. I don't know why you did that. I hope it's because you're a good person, and that you like me, because that's what the brain inside my chest tells me. It would be a nice ego boost, too. But I got worried, about what Azula would do to you if she found out, and decided that I couldn't fail another girl I cared about. So, this is it. If you want to come with me, I would be really happy. If you don't, we'll let you go, and go to Ba Sing Se. Hopefully, that means we won't have to fight again. But I'm really hoping you want to come with us. So... reaction? Anything to say? You're doing that thing where your face pretends it doesn't work right."

Mai thought.

* * *

Azula was thinking furiously. There _had_ to be a tactical advantage here. _Something_ she could exploit.

And where were her _ash-choked_ allies? Couldn't she depend on _anyone_?

Azula gave a scream of intimidation, stomped a foot down, and a blossom of fire exploded from beneath her and launched water and steam all around her. The Avatar quickly brought up an Earth wall to protect himself, but that blocked his vision. Azula took the opportunity to focus on him, letting emotion wash away and leave cold, soothing _intent_ in its place. She swung her arms, and electricity crackled between her hands and the surface of the water.

She'd have to have an iron will, to keep the lightning from frying her where she stood in the water.

Perfect.

Just as she was about to let the storm out, a _tsunami_ fell down on her, breaking her stance and absorbing the middling amounts of electricity that had been generated thus far. Azula felt her skin tingle and hair dance, but that was all. There hadn't been enough power yet to injury anyone.

Of course, now she was underwater and unable to breath. Bother.

* * *

Before Mai could say anything, Suki broke into motion. "Sokka, watch out!" The painted warrior dashed towards the Water Tribe boy, but a pink blur intercepted her and sent Suki crashing to the ground with a series of blows too fast to make out.

Ty Lee held her hands out in placating gesture as Sokka raised his club. "No fighting no fighting no fighting! I came to rescue Mai, but..." The acrobat turned to look Mai in the eyes. "If it would make you happy, I think you should go."

What.

"Mai, remember how I ran away to the circus? That was to be happy. We always had that in common; neither of us really liked our world. Azula was always different that way, I think. It's hard to say, because she actually keeps herself bottled up more than you. But, I've seen you since you got back from the swamp. You may not have thought so, but I know what you did when the Avatar went all glowy. Mai, you can't deny yourself. That will really mess up your chi, and then you'll get hurt, and then..." She smiled. "I want you to be happy."

Huh. Mai always knew that Ty Lee was smarter than she let on, but this was a little too much, considering how many other surprises had been popping in the last half hour.

Now all Mai had to do was decide.

She stepped towards Sokka, grabbed him, and kissed him deeply.

A while later, there faces came apart again. Sokka's eyes were wide. "Does that mean you're coming?"

Mai smirked. "No. That was just a test. To see if I liked you. I think it's safe to say I do." She turned to their audience. "Thank you, Ty Lee."

"No problem. I gotta go now. Write to me, if you can!"

* * *

The battle finished in a spectacular manner. The little lake exploded, as though a Fire Nation bomb had gone off beneath the surface, and Azula came _flying_ out, propelled by jets of flames on her hands and feet. She landed on the canyon wall, and climbed quickly to the top. Ty Lee, using one of the Kyoshi Warriors' scaling lines, followed. The two girls absconded, leaving their allies behind.

Earthbender soldiers from Full Moon Bay arrived shortly after that, having sensed the fighting. They took the thoroughly beaten and mostly unconscious Firebenders into custody, and said it was a real coup to capture alive a set of soldiers who had personally served the Fire Lord and his family.

Katara healed everyone's injuries, and the group was ecstatic in their success. They had beaten back Azula, and successfully made their way to Ba Sing Se! The Avatar's gang and the Kyoshi Warriors came together to celebrate.

There was one last thing to take care of. Sokka and Mai, a recovered Suki trailing behind them, approached their friends. Mai's face was blank, but Sokka was blushing and running his hands through his loosened hair. "Um, everyone, this is Mai, for those who haven't met her yet. She's on our side. Katara... uh, you're going to have to share your comb. Mai's stuff is still back at Azula's camp."

**END**


	7. Just Deal

**Age of Maikka - Just Deal**

"So, we're giving up our nice, smelly, over-crowded ferry, to walk a pregnant woman over a deadly bridge of land, because she couldn't keep an eye on the single most important piece of luggage in her possession. Her husband, I notice, had a backpack full of camping supplies still with him."

"Lucky for you. We were going to have to make you share a tent with me and Katara both. This way, I can bunk with Than, and Ying can bunk with her sister-in-law."

"Leaving me with your Katara. Oh, _that_ should be lots of fun. You know, she's been giving me Over-Protective Little Sister looks all day."

"Just be your naturally charming self. You'll win her over."

"Oh goody! Maybe we can ever braid each other's hair!"

"Yeah, girls love that, right?"

"_No._"

"Oh."

"So, this is what it's going to be like from now on, huh? Sacrificing for the greater good, with only your sexy company as compensation?"

"..uh, well... um..."

"You owe me for this. Make me a boomerang."

* * *

"It is an honor to welcome you to the outer wall, young Avatar, but your help is not needed."

"Not needed?"

"Not needed. I have the situation under control. I assure you the Fire Nation cannot penetrate this wall. Many have tried to break through it, but none have succeeded."

"What about Zuko's uncle? He broke a pretty big hole in your wall, the way I heard it! ...what? Zuko's uncle? Dragon of the West? Ring any bells? Don't you people know your own history? ...oh. He's still doing that Old Fuddy Duddy routine, then?"

* * *

"Can I stab the Joo Dee girl? Please?"

"Actually, I'm with Mai on this one. Let's ambush Joo Dee, steal the cart, and break into the Earth King's palace."

"Toph, don't encourage Mai. Mai, don't encourage Toph."

"Sure thing, Sugar Queen."

"Toph, stop teaching Mai your nicknames."

* * *

"Finally!"

"I wanted to finish listening to the haikus."

"No you didn't. You were bored to tears in there."

"Well, it would have been more fun if you had stayed, granted."

"I got thrown out an hour ago! I didn't think you had an attention span that long."

"I was committing the faces of all those girls to memory."

"Why?"

"I don't trust gigglers, and you looked far too pleased with yourself up there."

"Ooh, jealous?"

"No, thorough."

* * *

"Was this guy your boyfriend or something?"

"What? No!"

"I can tell you're lyyyyying."

"Oh, lay off her, Toph. We've _all_ done stupid things for boys."

"I haven't!"

"I can tell you're lyyyyying."

"No you can't! How? Tell me!"

"Did you know that faces turn a red color when a person is embarrassed? Yours is doing it now."

* * *

"Well, if I'm going to the Eastern Air Temple, Appa and I can drop you at Chameleon Bay to see your Dad."

"Someone has to stay here with the Earth King and keep an eye on him to make sure Ba Sing Se really commits to the war, now. I guess that's me."

"What, you don't think I can do it?"

"You're okay with helping plan a campaign against your own nation?"

"...well, if I can help make sure that no civilian colonists get ground underfoot, I think that will make up for any military damage I help do. Besides, you and Katara really want to see your dad."

"Since when do you and Katara get along?"

"Since we found new ways to make fun of you together."

"It's true. She's given me lots of new material."

* * *

"Hello, Mai. Long time, no see."

"Suki? ...oh, ashes."

"What, you won't bow before your Princess?"

**END**


	8. Wrap It Up

**Age of Maikka - Wrap It Up**

Iroh and the White Lotus Masters were the last to arrive for Zuko's coronation. Sokka was too busy reuniting with his father and the other Water Tribe warriors to be there. It was just as well; he wouldn't have wanted Master Piandao to see him shed a tear, along with Katara, for all the war had cost them.

Mai had disappeared back in Ba Sing se. All Sokka knew was that Azula had masterminded it. He had tried to put it out of his mind, because he couldn't get anywhere if he was panicked or distracted, but that only worked up to a point. Azula had nearly broken him when she taunted him with her role in his unhappiness. Even when he and Zuko had infiltrated the Boiling Rock, Mai wasn't there. Suki had been; Sokka still couldn't get over that she and Zuko had fallen for each other. That... was just weird.

Not that Sokka was jealous. He was glad that Suki was happy, but having another dead girl in his past really made contrast all the more hurtful.

At least no one else died, and now the war was over. So why didn't he feel better? Probably the same reason Katara always touched her necklace and teared up whenever their Mom was mentioned. She was fine with showing that side to the world, but Sokka certainly wasn't. He probably never would be.

Fortunately, his swordmaster turned out to have better ideas. Piandao and Grand-Pakku sought him out hastily, and took him aside while there were still a few minutes before Aang and Zuko would come out.

"Master Piandao! Grand-Pakku! I'm glad to see you guys are all right! I got a little dinged up, and I, uh... lostmysword. I'm sorry."

Piandao shook his head. "That doesn't matter. We have news for you."

Grand-Pakku nodded. "Victory wasn't the only thing we found in Ba Sing Se."

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "Okaaaay."

He should have known where they were going with this.

* * *

Dash through the courtyard, ignore Katara (as usual), down the hall, second left or third left? Well, that was just the second back there, so go with the third. Fifth door down, stop to knock, whoops going too fast, uh oh the door wasn't locked, better hope she's dressed (or not)...

Mai was just tying her hair back into a loose tail. It was an odd look for her, but at least she was back in her Fire Nation reds. She had stopped wearing them in Ba Sing Se, but that was the color she favored when he had first met her, so there would always be a link in Sokka's mind.

She turned to look at him, and her expression remained dead.

His heart flipped, and not in a good way. "Uh, hi! You're looking good."

"For a dead girl, huh?" She didn't move, but just turned back to look at herself in the mirror. Her voice was low and emotionless.

Uh oh.

"Mai..." He blinked back tears. "I tried to find you. But I didn't know how to look."

She shrugged. "I was in Ba Sing Se the whole time. Azula had he Dai Li find a special prison for me. She didn't trust me in the caverns where I could get my hands on some rocks. She made sure no one knew where I was. All I had was four walls, and a Dai Li keeper who fed me and never talked to me. I made myself a shank, but I never got to use it." Her voice droned, and Sokka got the impression that she wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying. "I thought I'd die in there, and lost track of how much time passed. Iroh said it was months. I slept a lot, mostly."

Sokka swallowed. "Mai... you know I still love you, right? That I always will?"

She finally turned to look at him.

Her eyes glistened with tears, and were more expressive than he ever remembered her allowing them to be. "Then get over here, already. I've been waiting for a hug since you burst in."

Sokka would never be able to remember the transition. One second, he was grinning with happy surprise, and the next, he and Mai had collapsed to the floor with their arms wrapped tightly around each other. It was a timeless moment, lasting an instant and forever, in which the mere presence of each other was all they would ever need.

The spell broke when an official voice wafted through the window on the summer breeze.

"Sounds like Zuko is about to get his crown."

"Okay."

"It's a historical event."

"Probably."

"I might feel bad about missing it when I'm an old man."

"The balcony faces the courtyard. We can see it from there."

"You've gotten pretty good at planning. Must have learned it from me."

"We'll be able to see the coronation, but no one will be able to see us if we don't lean over the railing."

"Okay, now you're just showing me up."

"Well, I had a lot of time to think."

"I had a lot of time to miss you."

"Corny."

"Absolutely."

"Mm."

**END - Age of Maikka**


	9. Plus Katara

**Matchmaking - Katara**

Katara couldn't say that she ever really liked Mai. That didn't change when the knife-thrower began dating Sokka.

The mechanics of how they got together were aside from the point. Katara hadn't exactly been at her best when Aang and she had been edging toward their own relationship, so she tried not to criticize anyone about that kind of thing. Really, it was aside from the main point, anyway.

Mai was a _jerk_.

She was mean. She was rude. She was demanding. She was self-centered. She was _sarcastic_.

It was a shame, really. Ty Lee proved that the Fire Nation could produce nice young women. (Assuming she wasn't actually illegitimate Air Nomad spawn. They were still waiting for the final results on that.) Granted, it was apparently rare, but it was possible.

Thus, it came as quite a surprise when Mai came to Katara with a request.

"Sea prunes."

"Can I help you, Mai?"

The Fire Nation girl was serious and intent. "I need to acquire sea prunes."

Katara eyed the other girl, looking for any sign that she was being ridiculed. "And why would you need them? I thought you went more for spicy dishes."

Mai was silent. Her eyes shifted across the room, although whom she thought might be eavesdropping in her own Fire Nation home, Katara couldn't say. Finally, the knife-thrower swallowed and replied. "Sokka and I will be having our first anniversary soon. I want to give him a sea prune dinner."

Katara's suspicious nature was screaming at Jet-class levels. Since when did _Mai_ care about doing anything for Sokka? All she did was feed on the relationship like a particularly attractive elbow leech. "Sea prunes are hard to get, in the Fire Nation."

"Hence why I'm asking you. And no 'ocean cumquat' substitutes; Sokka said they're close, but just not the same."

Katara's mouth quirked to the side. "He's right. But they _are_ pretty close."

Mai shook her head. "I want to be perfectly on target with this. No drift."

Interesting. _Assuming_ Mai was telling the truth, and this wasn't some kind of elaborate trick, there were some real opportunities in this. "You understand that sea prunes have to be prepared."

"Of course. If you give me the recipe, I'll put my best cook on it. He makes _fantastic_ Fire Flakes."

Katara shook her head. "You don't understand. Sea prunes... are a Water Tribe... sacred rite. They aren't just cooked up like any old dinner. The recipes pass through families, and the Matriarch of the family is the one who prepares them. Always. It's been that way since before anyone can remember."

Mai quirked an eyebrow. "I'm calling ashes on that one. You're making that up."

Fortunately, Katara had become versed in Fire Nation slang over the years. "No ash! Seriously! Go ahead and ask Sokka."

Mai's eyes twitched to the side again. "I was hoping for this to be a surprise."

Katara crossed her arms and smiled her prettiest. "Then you have to trust me."

"...fine. How do I get and cook these stupid things?"

That's where the fun began.

Katara dragged Mai to the closest seaport, right down to the docks themselves. There, the Waterbender took the lead in browsing the seafood market, and settled on the smelliest. (The scent came from the old fish the owner sold to the ignorant Fire Nation buyers, but upon seeing that Katara was a Waterbender, he brought out his best stock.) There, Katara haggled for a dinner's worth of fresh sea prunes, but not so much that they didn't pay a fair price and a little extra for the nice fish-seller. After all, it was Mai's money, and the main point was just to keep the Fire Nation girl staring at the dead fish lying atop mounds of ice for as long as possible.

Then, they brought the sea prunes back to Mai's house. That was when they began the _fun_ part.

"Okay, now you have to peel them."

"I have to _touch_ them?"

"Sure, what did you think?"

"Ugh."

It took a while, but finally Mai touched the sea prunes. She gagged.

"Now, you need to press the moisture out of them."

"With what?"

"Anything hard and flat. The idea is to drain out the juices. Sea Prune Stew has a very strong flavor, and that's _after_ the pressing. With the juices still in, it would be inedible. If we were in the South Pole, we'd collect the juices and use them as a kind of animal repellent, but I don't think we need to worry about that here."

"You never know. I could mark my doorway and try to keep annoying Waterbenders away."

Katara just gave Mai her best 'I dare ya!' look.

Mai didn't know her way around the kitchen, so she wound up walking off into the greater mansion, and coming back with a sculpture Katara didn't recognize. "I never liked this one. It was a gift to my mother." She then brought it down hard on one of the sea prunes. "That felt good."

An hour later, it was time to boil them. Mai smiled at that. "That's the easy part, right?"

Katara grinned. "Riiiight. Except sea prunes are rather pungent. I wouldn't be surprised if your whole house smelled like them. And they boil for a _long_ time."

Mai's face fell.

As the boiling went on, more of Mai's gagging ensued, and Katara finally took pity on the girl and let her go out in the fresh air. While she watched the pot, Katara took paper and a brush and began writing.

Mai returned a while later, looking better, but still slightly off. "What's that?"

"I wrote down the recipe for the broth for you. It's pretty easy, and I'm sure your cook could fix it up with no problem. You did good work today, Mai." Katara was surprised to realize that she meant it.

She didn't get to talk to Mai again until a few days after the anniversary. When Mai laid eyes on Katara, she didn't grimace, or roll her eyes, or offer any casual insults. She just gave a small smile. "He loved it. Thank you."

Katara, of course, hugged Mai. "I was happy to help. I want Sokka to be happy, and I'm glad you do, too. Although... I have to confess; I kind of made up that stuff about only the Matriarchs making the stew. Anyone can do it, even the warriors."

Mai, surprisingly, smirked. "I figured."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not. You're Sokka's sister, how could I be mad at you?" She broke down into a quiet chuckle. "I saved the sea prune juice."

"...Mai, where's my stuff?"

Mai's smile grew.

"Mai!"

_Despite_ that incident, Katara had to admit, Mai wasn't as bad as she had thought (the knife-thrower's best efforts not withstanding).

**END**


	10. Plus Suki

**Matchmaking - Suki**

Peace had been established throughout the world with coming of Avatar Aang and the rise of Fire Lord Zuko. The century-long war was over, and at last the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom could rebuild in safety and peace. The new Fire Nation had pledged to help, but its people and rulers still had plenty of time to enjoy the new era.

Case in point, Zuko had announced his engagement to Suki of Kyoshi Island, and the happy couple was hosting a citywide celebration in the Fire Nation's capital, open to nobles and commoners alike. In the courtyard of their palace, Zuko and Suki looked out at the dancing revelers.

Zuko's eyes, however, kept sliding to his fiancé. "You look perfect."

Suki, resplendent in bright red robes, smiled and focused her attention on him. "Do I?"

"Absolutely. It's like you were born for the Fire Nation. Red, and being at my side, suits you so well."

Suki raised her eyebrows and laughed. "Very smooth, Zuko. Your uncle wrote that for you, didn't he?"

"Well," Zuko stammered, "he didn't write it. He just told it to me. But it's true."

Suki shrugged playfully. "You never know. Kyoshi Island may have started off as Earth Kingdom, but it was a popular port in the Southern Seas by the time Avatar Roku was born. I know I have Water Tribe blood in my family, and it's entirely possible there's some Fire Nation, too. We used to get their ships, before the war."

"Interesting." Zuko suddenly smirked. "So if anyone complains about my making a foreigner the Royal Consort, we an always use that explanation."

Suki gave him a reproachful stare and gestured at the crowd. "Do you see anyone complaining?"

Zuko looked, and his eyes narrowed. "Well, Mai is making gestures at us."

Suki followed his gaze. "Oh. That looks obscene."

"Actually, it's not. It's an ancient Sun Warrior curse, calling for darkness to hound our steps and a chill to take our blood." Zuko sighed. "She always did well in school, especially history."

"Should we call for the guards?"

"Not so long as she stays away from us. I told the guards to confiscate her weapons if she tried to get in here."

"Okay, your call. I guess she's still upset about... well, the whole thing."

"A little."

"A little? Zuko, now she's using both hands."

"Okay, maybe more than a little."

Suki turned away from the sight. "We need to introduce her to someone new. That isn't healthy."

Zuko snorted. "You wouldn't happen to know an eligible guy who doesn't mind pain and suffering, would you?"

Suki blinked. "Actually, I do."

* * *

"YOU WANT ME TO DATE _WHO_?"

Suki pushed a plate of kabobs towards her guest. "Here, have some more."

"Thanks!" Sokka began stuffing sizzling chunks of meat into his mouth. "Sho, oo ant e oo datesh oo?"

"You heard me, Sokka. Mai's really upset, and could use a friend."

Sokka swallowed. "What about Ty Lee?"

"She likes it on Kyoshi Island. They're talking about making her leader in my place."

"So why me?" Sokka pushed the empty plate away and crossed his arms. "Mai and I haven't said two words to each other. I don't even like her as a friend!"

"Aw, that's mean."

"No, it just means I haven't even met her yet."

Suki smiled and gestured. "So meet her! You two have lots in common!"

"Like what?"

"You like throwing metal things at people!"

"And?"

"...look, just try talking to her! She's pretty!"

Sokka's face twisted. "She is?"

"You don't think so?"

"Well, I haven't really _examined_ her, but no, she never really stood out to me."

Suki finally let the good cheer fade from her face. "Sokka, if you ask Mai out, I'll have Zuko give you all the komodo kabobs you can eat for a _week_."

* * *

Sokka was on Mai's doorstep the next day with a bunch of flowers. He was dressed in his best blues, and had just bathed. He brought his boomerang along, both because he thought it might serve as an easy conversation point, and it might come in handy if things came down to a fight for his life. It always paid to be careful, as he had tried but never successfully impressed on Katara.

Sokka knocked on the door.

A servant answered.

Sokka gave the man a message for Mai, one that he had pre-planned with Iroh's help. The general's insight proved helpful, because he plenty of experience sweet-talking women, and he actually knew a little about Mai. It couldn't lose.

A few minutes later, a scowling Mai appeared.

Sokka smiled.

Mai took one look at the flowers, twisted her face in disgust at the colors, and slammed the door.

* * *

"No, it doesn't count. You get the meat only if you get her out on a date."

Sokka slumped on the Fire Lord's fancy table. "But this is _hard_!"

Suki didn't relent with her scowl. "Sokka, I know you can do this. You charmed me, once upon a time, and I thought you were a woman-hating scumbucket. Mai just thinks you're an idiot."

"Gee, thanks."

"Prove her wrong."

"How am I... wait."

* * *

An hour later, Sokka was back in front of Mai's house. The same servant opened the door. He smirked when he saw Sokka.

Sokka resisted the urge fall for it. "Just get Mai for me, huh, buddy?"

Mai was produced shortly.

Sokka proudly revealed a new boomerang, colored red and black, the edge freshly sharpened. "For you."

Mai's face didn't move, but she did say, "Ooh."

Sokka was about to reply, take advantage of her interest, but before he could, she plucked the boomerang from his hands and slammed the door again.

Great.

* * *

"Sokka, what do you want from me? I can't ask Mai out _for you_."

Sokka planted his face in his hands. The muffled reply was, "I want you to ditch your boyfriend and stop exploiting our past to solve your problems."

"_WHAT?_"

"Nothing! Noth... wait."

Suki sat back down. "What?"

Sokka finished his thought, mentally congratulated himself, and smirked. "I got this. Go put the order for my kabobs in."

* * *

Mai's expression was as unreadable as ever, but it was safe to say that she was Not Amused. Sokka, however, didn't let that deter him. Just as Suki had trained him all that time ago on Kyoshi Island, it would be his opponent's own momentum that would lead to her defeat.

He held up a hand, looked Mai in the eyes, and spoke. "Suki sent me over here to get you out of her hair by way of seduction. Honestly, I think that's pretty scummy. But, it occurs to me that maybe we _can_ get along, at least as friends, because I can respect anyone who can manipulate Suki like you've been doing. But frankly, that kind of meanness is really beneath you. I think you're not as upset as you're acting, but you're so bored that you're acting out and trying to get attention. Well, here I am. Your opportunity to do something with your life. I'll teach you the boomerang, trade jokes with you, discuss Suki and Zuko's flaws, find an adventure somewhere we both like, or just make out if you want to because now that I get a good look at you you're actually very pretty. And if you take me up on that, you'll be proving herself a better person than Suki. Not that you care."

Sokka held out his arms. "So, what will it be?"

Mai stared at him.

Sokka stared back.

Mai smirked, arched an eyebrow at him, looked him over from head to toe, and spoke. "Okay." She pulled Sokka into the house and shut the door.

* * *

Sokka shared his komodo kabobs with his new girlfriend.

**END**


	11. Plus Yue

**Matchmaking - Yue**

Sokka leaned out of the highest window in the Fire Nation Royal Palace and gazed up at the Moon.

It was almost sacrilegious, admiring Yue from within the heart of the land of her killers, but the Palace was the tallest structure that Sokka had access to, and so it was his closest place on Earth to the Moon Spirit. Besides, Zuko ran the Fire Nation now, and he claimed to have beat up (twice!) the Admiral who was most responsible for the loss of Yue, so that had to be some kind of comic karmic cosmic justice. And the palace was Zuko's home now, and was always open to the Zuko's friends, so that made it kind of like Sokka's home away from home.

So Yue probably wouldn't be upset.

Sokka couldn't help but feel a little anxious, though, and resorted to his favorite guaranteed outlet for nervous energy- toying with his boomerang. He probably should have paid a little more attention to it, though, because as he fiddled and looked up at the soft light of the heavens, his fingers tangled, and Boomerang tumbled out of his grip and fell into the shadows below.

Ooops.

Sokka peered downward, but couldn't see anything. Neither did he hear it hit anything. Maybe it landed on a balcony a few floors down and bounced inside? But how could he tell which room...

When the door to his hideaway burst open behind him, Sokka was leaning out the window with his legs hooked on the frame at the knees. The surprise nearly dislodged him and sent him falling into the night, but he twisted and grabbed the edge with a scream. A cold, strong hand clamped around his right wrist, and Sokka looked up to see the sinister blank face of Royal Consort Mai.

With her other hand, she held up Boomerang. "Get back in here and explain to me why I was nearly killed by this."

"Boomerang! You found it."

"I _caught_ it. After it nearly lodged itself in my _head_."

Sokka winced. Maybe letting himself fall would be the least painful escape.

Mai began pulling him up, and Sokka reluctantly climbed back through the window. Before Mai could attack, the Water Tribe boy held up his hands and began spea- well, rambling. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to drop it but my fingers were feeling lazy and I was looking up at the Moon and not watching them properly and Boomerang didn't want to fall but gravity is always on my case and if I knew you were down there I would have thrown myself out the window to catch Boomerang and make sure you were okay although if I did that then it's entirely possible I might have hit you instead of Boomerang and that probably would have been worse ALTHOUGH I DON'T WEIGH AS MUCH AS I LOO-"

Mai grabbed him and slammed a hand over his mouth. "Do. Not. Do. _That_."

Sokka nodded.

Mai let go, took a step back, and let Boomerang fall to the floor. "Here. Hold on to it. Now, why are you up here? No one uses this floor anymore."

Sokka shrugged. "I wanted to look at the Moon."

Mai didn't reply immediately. "I was waiting for a punch line, or whatever passes for one with you."

"Nope. Just me and the Moon."

She just raised her eyebrows at that, then abruptly frowned and turned away from Sokka. "Never mind, I just remembered. General Iroh told us about the North Pole."

"Oh."

Mai began easing towards the door, still refusing to face him. "I'll just get out of here, then. Your boomerang's on the floor."

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry about Boomerang. Thanks for bringing it to me."

"Sure."

"You remind me of her, actually."

Mai whipped around at that. "What?"

"Yeah." Sokka leaned back against the window, and gave a little smile. "No one could ever be Yue, or take her place, but you remind me of her, because you're nothing like her."

"...that... doesn't actually make any sense."

"Well, I can't imagine how anyone can be more opposite! Her hair was white and her skin was dark, but your hair is black and your skin is the whitest I've ever seen! And her voice was high and like singing, but yours is low and like growling! And Yue didn't fight at all, but you! You wear the biggest arsenal I've _ever_ seen under your clothes, and I'm _always_ afraid you're just going to snap and kill everyone."

Mai smirked. "I consider it, sometimes."

Sokka threw his hands up in the air. "See! And Yue... was kind of sad." Sokka went still. "She tried to be the Princess her people needed, and when we were together, she could pretend she was happy, but I eventually learned how to tell. She was sad, that she had to marry _him_. Sad that her people could only wait for disaster. Sad... for me." Sokka didn't speak for a moment, and Mai actually began fidgeting. "You... you're happy, I think. You have everything you've ever wanted. But you don't like to show it. I don't know why."

Abruptly, Sokka looked up again, his eyes bright with the moonlight. "And your clothes! Yue wore blue and white, but you wear red- the total opposite of blue- and black. It's like you're Yue's evil reflection from the Mirror World!"

Mai was silent for a long moment. "I... actually like that. 'Evil reflection from the mirror world.' It sounds... interesting. So, do you think about her whenever you look at me?"

"Nope." Sokka glanced back out the window, then at Mai. The room around them was dark, except for the Moonlight. "Just when I see you on a clear night like this."

Mai started to say something, stopped, turned to go, stopped, then spun to look the Water Tribe boy in the eyes. "Sokka."

"Yeah?"

"Your boomerang is still on the floor."

"Right. Thanks."

"No problem." Mai glided out of the room, trailed by the Moonglow.

Sokka eased back to look out the window again. He gazed up at the moon, but there was something a little different about the light. It took him a moment to understand. "No! She's _Zuko's_ girlfriend, and I'm set, too. How weird would that be? And your Evil Reflection! Frankly, it's tasteless of you to even suggest such a thing, just going by that. But it _is_ a funny thought."

**END**


	12. Plus Zuko

**Matchmaking - Zuko**

When Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe finally laid eyes on the Fire Nation shores, the ten-year-old boy was less than impressed. "This is going to be really boring, isn't it?"

Chief Hakoda reached down and laid a strong hand on his son's shoulder. "No more boring than ice-fishing!" He smiled, but the cheer began draining from his face as soon as it arrived. "Ice-fishing when the other guy you're out on the ice with hasn't done a day's work in his life and only wants to talk about Passage Agreements for your tribe's water routes, and instead of getting fish at the end, you get artic hen with little pieces of dirt on it that make your tongue burn like it's fire." Hakoda looked out at the same spot on the horizon as his son, and saw the fancy, modern dock of the Fire Nation's capital city. "And the ice you're fishing on is owned by a tribe that forgot what fun looked like when your grandfather was still throwing snowballs at your grandmother."

Sokka looked up at his dad. "So, it's going to be _really_ boring."

"Yup." Hakoda sighed. "Maybe you can explore the city."

"Why am I here again?"

"Because you didn't want to stay behind with just your mother, Katara, and Gran-Gran for company."

Sokka sighed in imitation of his father. "Oh, yeah. It's just that when you said you going to the Fire Nation to do Diplo Messy, I thought maybe there would be some fighting. I want to be a warrior!"

Hakoda watched as the Water Tribe ship passed through the so-called Great Gates of Azulon. The statue of the dead Fire Lord stood taller than any iceberg the chief had ever seen. "You shouldn't say things like that, Sokka. I can't imagine anything more terrifying than fighting a war against the Fire Nation."

* * *

Hakoda did not bow, but instead reached a friendly hand out towards Prince Ozai. "It is my honor to meet you, Your Highness."

Ozai, evidently trained in the ways of international politeness, pushed out his own hand and grasped Hakoda's arm by the wrist. Hakoda did the same, and so it was established that both came to negotiate in good faith, with no weapons hidden in their sleeves. Ozai's face remained unfriendly, but that wasn't important to the diplomatic process.

Hakoda kept his polite smile in place. "The young man to my right is my son, Sokka. He wanted to see the Fire Nation's legendary grandeur."

Ozai snorted. "He looks more like a boy than a young man, to me. Let him go play in the residential wing of the palace with the other children, while we get down to business, uninterrupted."

Hakoda lost his smile. "My son-"

"Actually, dad, that sounds okay to me."

* * *

Prince Zuko turned out to be less than impressive. "We can't play in the palace. My little sister is out there now, and if she sees I have a new friend, she'll beat us both up."

Sokka waited to see if Zuko was going to burst out laughing, but it didn't happen. "Your _little **sister**_."

"Uh, huh. She's scary."

Sokka suppressed the urge to give an opinion on that. His dad said to be polite and Diplo Tactic. "Okay. But I heard someone say that there's a garden just outside. Do you have 'grass' there?"

Zuko scratched his hair where it wasn't quite long enough to stay in his topknot. "We can't go there, either. My sister's friends are playing out there right now. They're waiting for Azula- that's my sister- to finish her Firebending training."

Sokka really wanted to say something sarcastic. "More girls."

"Yeah. We can just hide behind some curtains for a while, maybe just an hour, and then Azula will be done and go meet Mai and Ty Lee- they're her friends- and then we can play here in the palace."

"So... Mei and Tai Li will beat us up, too?"

Zuko considered that. "Probably not. They haven't tried yet. But they're annoying. Ty Lee is loud and likes to imitate Azula and make fun of me, and Mai is just annoying. She follows me around when Azula is busy, but won't say anything. When I try to get her to play a game or something, she just runs away."

"Zuko, buddy... you're not a warrior, are you?"

"Nuh uh! I want to be a Diplomat Prince like my dad!"

Sokka nodded. "And yet, you can't get a shy girl to talk."

"Uh..." Zuko blinked. "Are you allowed to talk to a prince like that?"

Sokka put a friendly arm around Zuko. "You know, back home, I'm kind of like a prince myself, and I'm a _great_ talker. Want me to find out what's going on with this Mae for you?"

"Mai."

"That's what I said. So?"

Zuko nodded. "I'd like to see you do _that_."

* * *

One was covered in pink, the other in black. Sokka stood in front of them and pointed at the pink one. "Are you Mei?"

"No, _she is_. And it's Mai."

"Like I said. So you'd be Tai Li?"

"Ty Lee. But yeah."

"What did I say? Anyway, is it okay if I talk to your friend for a moment?"

Ty Lee looked over at Mai, who remained silent and blank-faced. Then she looked back up at Sokka and gave a wide, disconcerting grin. "You're cute."

"Um, thanks?"

"I'll just leave you two alone for a moment." She threw a look back at Mai, winked obviously, and skipped off.

Mai just continued to stare.

Sokka waited. The girl had an interesting look, fascinatingly toxic... no, _exotic_ was the word... and her hair was the shiniest Sokka had ever seen, even after that time when Katara worked blubber all over her head in an attempt to try new styles. "So, Zuko says you don't talk."

She blushed at that.

Sokka wondered what that was about. "So, if I give you a piece of jerky, will you say something so that I can show Zuko up and tell him you _do_ speak?"

Mai said nothing.

"So, what's with the weird way everyone says your name? Are your parents bad at spelling?"

Mai shrugged.

"So, uh, what do you do for fun?"

Mai pulled a knife the size of her forearm out of her sleeve.

"Whoa. Nice knife. Hey, look, I have a machete!" He produced the sharpened bone weapon from his belt, and held it out to Mai. She took it carefully, running her hands along the grip. Then she slowly and cautiously put a finger on the blade.

She smiled.

Sokka grinned back. "If you like that, check _this_ out!" He reached for the pouch on his back, and whipped out his newest weapon. "This... is Boomerang."

Mai was back to staring blankly.

Sokka sighed. "Look, I'll show you." He took aim at an apple hanging from a tree, and threw.

As Sokka would grow up, he would come to find women increasingly alluring, and would study them accordingly. He would come to know all the various ways they could express themselves, particularly when it came to finding him attractive in turn. His very first taste of this, when he was ten years old, was seeing Mai's face positively light up when she saw Boomerang float through the air and whip back to land in Sokka's hand.

It occurred then, to Sokka, that girls could be _pretty_. "So... wanna try it?"

Mai opened her mouth, stopped... and then spoke. "Please."

* * *

After that, Zuko found that Mai no longer had trouble talking to him, although she didn't seem to have much to say.

**END**


End file.
